The History of the Yakima Valley, Washington, Comprising Yakima, Kittitas and
Benton Counties, The S.J. Clarke Publishing Co., 1919, Volume II, page 1078
NORMAN P. MEAD.
Norman P. Mead, an orchardist of Yakima county, was born in Butler county, Iowa,
November 18, 1889, a son of Charles Sumner and Mary Mead. They came to the
Yakima valley in 1896 and for two years were residents of the city of Yakima.
The father then purchased forty acres of land two and a half miles southwest of
the depot and afterward added to his original holdings until he had one hundred
acres in Yakima county. As time passed he acquired other landed holdings until
he was the owner of large ranches on the Parker bottoms, comprising over six
hundred acres. On the Yakima ranch he planted sixty acres to fruit. He also had
another tract of one hundred and twenty acres near Yakima and was thus
extensively and successfully engaged in farming and fruit raising. Upon his home
place he built a fine residence and large and substantial barns and added all
of the accessories and conveniences of the model farm. He improved several of
his ranches and after successfully carrying on business for many years he
decided to retire. He then took up his abode in Yakima, but indolence and
idleness are utterly, foreign to his stature and he could not be content without
some occupation. He has therefore purchased one hundred and twenty acres of land
on the Naches and there resides at the present time.
Norman P. Mead acquired a public school education and after mastering the
branches of learning therein taught spent two years as a student in Vashon
College at Burton and two and a half years in Washington State College at
Pullman. Subsequently he was with his father upon the ranch and became his
active assistant in the development and improvement of his land. In 1915 the
father gave to Norman P. Mead ten acres of fruit land, planted to apples and
pears This is ten acres of the old home place, upon which stands a most
beautiful and attractive residence. Mr. Mead also rents twenty acres in addition
and thus farms thirty acres in all, his time and attention being largely given
to orcharding.
On the 24th of April, 1915, Mr. Mead was united in marriage to Miss Helen
Marguerite Cornwell, of Montana, a daughter of John Cornwell, who came to Yakima
county in 1900. Mr. and Mrs. Mead have one child, Mary Jean.
In his political views Mr. Mead is a republican and fraternally he is connected
with the Yakima lodge of Elks, No. 318. He is widely known and his social
qualities are such as make for personal popularity, so that he has an extensive
circle of friends wherever he has gone.
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Submitted to the Washington Bios Project in January 2008 by Jeffrey L. Elmer.
Submitter has no additional information about the subject of this article.